Electrical outlet fixture recessible in a housing

ABSTRACT

A system for selectively recessing an electrical outlet includes a housing that has an opening. An outlet fixture has at least one receptacle for receiving an electrical plug. A guide within the housing receives the outlet fixture and permits the outlet fixture to be moved within the housing. A latch selectively holds the outlet fixture in a recessed position until the latch is released to permit the outlet fixture to return to a non-recessed position. A method of selectively recessing an electrical outlet includes receiving and inserting a plug into an electrical outlet body within a housing. The electrical outlet body is moved along guides into the housing. The electrical outlet body is stopped at a recessed position within the housing, and the electrical outlet body is restrained in a recessed position. The method further includes selectively returning the electrical outlet body to a position proximate to the front of the housing. In one embodiment, a terminal assembly is included so that the outlet body is electrically connected using flexible wiring between the outlet body and the terminal assembly. Alternatively, the outlet body is connected to the terminal assembly using pins or flexible contacts that are electrically engaged only when the outlet body is recessed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to an electrical outlet assembly andmore specifically it relates to a selectively recessed electricaloutlet.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional electrical outlet assembly typically lies flush with thesurrounding surface in which it is affixed. Thus, when an electricalplug connects to the electrical outlet assembly, the plug protrudes fromthe surrounding surface creating safety concerns. The present inventionavoids such safety concerns by providing for a recessed electricaloutlet. Such electrical outlets have been provided for in the prior artand may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address.However, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the presentinvention as heretofore described.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a recessedelectrical outlet that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior artdevices.

Another object is to provide a selectively recessed electrical outletthat allows the user to situate the electrical outlet in either arecessed position or a conventional position. Various reasons may existfor desiring one configuration over the other. For instance, a recessedelectrical outlet may be desired so that the electrical plug does notprotrude from the surrounding surface. On the other hand, a conventionaldesign may be desired in order to increase the aesthetic value of thesurface in general.

The present invention increases the safety of the electrical outlet byallowing for the electrical outlet to maintain a recessed position withrespect to the surrounding surface. Such a configuration allowsfurniture to be situated in a near-flush position with respect to thesurrounding surface containing the recessed electrical outlet. Thesafety of the electrical outlet is thereby increased due to thenon-protrusion of the electrical plug. In a sense, a recessed electricaloutlet lies within a safety zone within the housing. For example,oftentimes an electrical outlet positioned on the floor of a surface canbe a tripping hazard. A selectively chosen recessed position may preventsuch a hazard because the electrical plug would not protrude from thefloor as it would if situated in a conventional electrical assembly. Atthe same time, the recessed electrical outlet should decrease thechances of the leads becoming bent due to interference with otherobjects.

The present invention also provides for the electrical outlet tomaintain a conventional position wherein the electrical outlet liesflush with the surrounding surface. Situating the electrical outlet in aconventional position may be desired in order to increase the generalappearance of a surface. When an electrical outlet is not in use, it maybe desired to return the electrical outlet to a conventional position sothat the surface does not contain any cavities that may detract from theaesthetic value of the surface.

The present invention allows the electrical outlet to maintain arecessed position or a conventional position. As previously discussed,there are advantages to both the recessed and conventional electricaloutlet assemblies. The present invention provides an idealization ofboth configurations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described below in connection with theaccompanying drawing figures in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the selectively recessedelectrical outlet assembly with a faceplate and with the outlet body inthe conventional position;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the selectively recessedelectrical outlet assembly with the outlet body in the recessedposition;

FIG. 3 illustrates cross-section of the entire electrical outletassembly with the outlet body situated in a conventional position;

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-section of one embodiment of the electricaloutlet assembly with the outlet body situated in a recessed position;

FIG. 5 illustrates a frontal view of the electrical outlet assembly withthe outlet body situated in a conventional position;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of theelectrical outlet assembly in the recessed position, which shows a catchon the outlet body to engage the tension plate;

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of theelectrical outlet assembly, which shows a terminal assembly thatreceives the supply lines and that is interconnected with the outletbody with flexible wires;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of theelectrical outlet assembly, which shows a terminal assembly thatreceives the supply lines and that is selectively interconnected withthe outlet body with pins that engage respective sockets in the terminalassembly only when the outlet body is recessed; and

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of theelectrical outlet assembly, which shows a terminal assembly thatreceives the supply lines and that is selectively interconnected withthe outlet body with flexible contacts that engage contacts on theterminal assembly only when the outlet body is recessed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the selectively recessedelectrical outlet assembly 10 with a faceplate 16 and with the outletbody (i.e., the outlet fixture) 1 in the conventional position. Thefaceplate 16 is mounted to the housing 4 to surround the front of theoutlet body 1 so that the outlet assembly has an aestheticallyacceptable appearance. The housing 4 advantageously includes a removableside plate 7 that can be removed to provide access to the inner portionof the housing 4.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of theselectively recessed electrical outlet assembly 10 in which the outletbody 1 is held in a recessed position by a latch 2. In the illustratedembodiment, the latch 2 is a biased tension plate 2, that comprisesspring steel, or the like. The latch 2 can be any width when measuredalong the base of the housing 4. The latch 2 has a fixed end proximateto the front of the housing 4 and has a free end disposed away from thefront of the housing 4. It should be understood that other latches canbe utilized. For example, the latch may be an unbiased metal plate thathas a spring that provides force to move the plate away from the base ofthe housing 4 when released.

The recessed outlet body 1 is enclosed in the housing 4 and is movablewithin the housing 4 along a set of guides 5. The guides 5 can bepositioned at any height from the base of the housing 4. The outlet body1 has a pair of electrical receptacles 3 that are positioned to receiveelectrical plugs 25. It should be understood that the outlet body 1 canhave only a single receptacle and that it may have more than tworeceptacles (e.g., four receptacles). A pair of bolt guides 6 guide apair of bolts 9 through the housing 4. It should be understood that inalternative embodiments, only the bolt guides 6 and bolts 9 are used,and the guides 5 are not needed. As a further alternative, only theguides 5 are used, and the bolt guides 6 and bolts 9 are not needed.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate cross sections of the electrical outletassembly. FIG. 3 illustrates the outlet body 1 in a conventionalposition. FIG. 4 illustrates the outlet body 1 in a recessed position.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the outlet body 1 is in the conventionalposition, the front of the outlet body 1 is generally flush with thefaceplate 16. As further shown in FIG. 3, the latch 2 is positionedbeneath the outlet body 1. In the illustrated embodiment where the latch2 is a tension plate, the latch 2 is biased so that free end of thelatch 2 is under tension in the position shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the outlet body 1 is pushed inward to arecessed position within the housing 4, a pair of springs 22 arecompressed around the bolts 9. The bolts 9 are held stationary via apair of washers 23 and a pair of nuts 21. The latch 2 is released frombeneath the outlet body 1, and the bias of the latch 2 causes the freeend of the latch 2 to move upwards and engage the front of the outletbody 1. In alternative embodiments of the latch 2, the bias of a spring(not shown) pushes the latch 2 upwards. It should be understood that thelatch 2 can also be located above the outlet body 1, or in othersuitable locations.

When the latch 2 is disengaged from the outlet body 1 by depressing thelatch 2, the springs 22 apply pressure to the back of the outlet body 1to force the outlet body 1 to return to the front of the housing 4. Theoutlet body 1 travels over the top of the depressed latch 2, as shown inFIG. 3.

In the illustrated embodiment, the inside of the housing 4 includesupper and lower stops 12 that limit the travel of the outlet body 1 toprevent the outlet body 1 from being pushed beyond a predeterminedrecess limit. This reduces the force that is applied to the electricalsupply wiring 27 that is coupled to the back of the outlet body 1 in aconventional manner (e.g., by using self-locking sockets (not shown)that engage and hold the non-insulated ends of the wires 27).

As shown in FIG. 3, the latch 2 is initially depressed below the outletbody 1. As shown in FIG. 4, when the outlet body 1 is pushed inward by auser and reaches a sufficient depth, the latch 2 is released from itsdepressed position and engages and holds the outlet body 1 in a recessedposition. The electrical plug 25 can be inserted into one of thereceptacles 3 of the outlet body 1 prior to engaging the latch 2 orafter engaging the latch 2.

By holding the outlet body 1 in the recessed position, the bodies of theelectrical plugs 25 are within the cavity formed between the face of theoutlet body 1 and the opening of the housing 4. Thus, only theelectrical wires 26 extend from the electrical plugs 25 and are exposedbeyond the surface surrounding the housing 4. Because of the inherentflexibility of the electrical wires 26 and because any bending of thewires 26 can be initiated within the recessed cavity, only a very smallamount of space is required on the surface of an adjacent wall.Basically, only the thickness of the electrical wires 26 needs to beaccommodated. Thus, furniture and other objects can be positionedsubstantially against the wall proximate to the electrical outlet.

In contrast to the present invention, when a conventional outlet isused, the shells of the electrical plugs 25 extend a significantdistance from the plane of the wall, and further distance is required toaccommodate the minimum radius of curvature of the wires 26. Thus, withconventional outlets, it may be necessary to position furniture or otherobjects one or two inches (2-5 centimeters) from the wall in which theoutlet is positioned.

FIG. 5 illustrates a frontal view of the electrical outlet assembly 10wherein the outlet body 1 lies flush with the open face of the housing4. The guides 5 in the housing 4 are shown as engaging with protrusions30 on the outlet body 1 so that the outlet body 1 is well-guided as itis selectively recessed. The outlet body 1 can engage with the guide 5in other ways (e.g., rollers, etc.).

FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-section of one embodiment of the electricaloutlet assembly 10 in the recessed position with a catch 14 on theoutlet body 1. The catch 14 limits the vertical movement of the free endof the latch 2 so that the latch 2 remains engaged with the face of theoutlet body 1.

It should be understood that although the foregoing embodiments havebeen described with respect to a vertically oriented housing 4positioned in a wall, for example, the orientation of the presentinvention is not critical. Thus, the foregoing embodiments can alsooperate with the housing 4 positioned in a wall in a generallyhorizontal position. Furthermore, the foregoing embodiments can alsooperate with the housing 4 positioned in a floor or ceiling such thatthe outlet body 1 moves vertically with respect to the floor or ceiling.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of anelectrical outlet assembly 100 that includes an outlet body 101. Theoutlet assembly 100 further includes a terminal assembly 110 thatreceives the supply lines (not shown) in a plurality of sockets 112. Forexample, the sockets 112 are advantageously self-locking sockets similarto the sockets used for back-wiring conventional electrical outlets. Inparticular, when the non-insulated end of a supply wire is inserted intoone of the sockets 112, the socket 112 firmly engages the inserted wireto provide a low-resistance electrical connection. The supply wirecannot be removed from the socket 112 without using a screwdriver orother bladed tool to activate a release mechanism. The sockets 112 areconnected to the outlet body 101 with flexible wires 120 thatadvantageously comprise a plurality of small strands. By using thestranded wires 120, the outlet body 101 can be more easily moved to therecessed position because the user does not have to bend the lessflexible solid wires 27 of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 6.The flexible wires 120 can be installed between the terminal assembly110 and the outlet body 101 in a factory. The supply wires (not shown)are readily inserted into the sockets 112 at a construction site byremoving the side plate 7 (see FIGS. 1 and 2), inserting the supplywires, and then replacing the side plate 7.

FIG. 8 illustrates a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of theelectrical outlet assembly 200 that includes an outlet body 201. Theoutlet assembly 200 further includes a terminal assembly 210 thatreceives the supply lines (not shown) in a plurality of sockets 212, asdescribed above in connection with the assembly 100 in FIG. 7. Theembodiment of FIG. 8 does not include flexible wires between theterminal assembly 210 and the outlet body 201. Rather, the outlet body201 includes a plurality of protruding pins 220 that are positioned toengage a corresponding plurality of sockets 222 in the terminal assembly210. The outlet body 201 is thus selectively electrically interconnectedwith the sockets 212 in the terminal assembly 210 only when the outletbody 201 is recessed. In the embodiment shown, one of the pins in eachset of pins 220 is longer than the other two pins in the set so that thelonger pin engages its respective socket 212 first. The longest pin iselectrically connected to the safety ground so that the outlet body 201is always grounded before the hot and neutral interconnections arecompleted.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-section of an alternative embodiment of theelectrical outlet assembly 300 that includes an outlet body 301. Theoutlet assembly 300 further includes a terminal assembly 310 thatreceives the supply lines (not shown) in a plurality of sockets 312, asdescribed above in connection with the assembly 100 in FIG. 7. Like theembodiment of FIG. 8, the embodiment of FIG. 9 also does not includeflexible wires between the terminal assembly 310 and the outlet body301. Rather, the outlet body 301 includes a plurality of flexiblecontacts 320 that are positioned to engage a corresponding plurality offixed contacts 322 in the terminal assembly 310. The outlet body 301 isthus selectively electrically interconnected with the sockets 312 in theterminal assembly 310 only when the outlet body 301 is recessed. Theflexible contacts 320 have sufficient length and flexibility toaccommodate any variations in the position of the outlet body 301 whenthe outlet body 301 is latched in the recessed position. Although notshown in FIG. 9, it should be understood that one of the contacts ineach set of the contacts 320 may be advantageously configured to extendfurther from the outlet body 301 than the other two contacts so that thesafety ground connection is completed before the hot and neutralinterconnections are completed. Alternatively, the corresponding fixedcontact in each set of fixed contacts 322 may be made larger toaccomplish the same result. It should be further understood that thefixed contacts 322 may be advantageously replaced with flexiblecontacts.

Although the invention has been described in terms of the preferredembodiment, many variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart. All such variations are intended to be included within the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for selectively recessing an electricaloutlet, comprising: a housing having four side walls, a back wall, andan opening opposite the back wall; an outlet fixture having a front facethat includes at least one receptacle for receiving an electrical plug;a guide within the housing, the guide receiving the outlet fixture andpermitting the outlet fixture to be moved within the housing from afirst position where the front face of the outlet fixture is proximateto the opening of the housing to a second position where the front faceof the outlet fixture is recessed with respect to the opening; and alatch positioned on one of the side walls of the housing proximate tothe opening, the latch having an engagement end, the latch positioned sothat the engagement end is between the outlet fixture and the one of theside walls when the front face of the outlet fixture is proximate to theopening, the length of the latch selected so that the engagement endengages at least a portion of the front face when the outlet fixture isin a recessed position.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the guideallows the outlet fixture to move in a direction perpendicular to theopening in the housing.
 3. The system of claim 1 further comprising atleast one stop to limit the travel of the outlet fixture within thehousing.
 4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a catch on theoutlet fixture to engage the latch.
 5. The system of claim 1, whereinthe outlet fixture returns to a position proximate to the opening of thehousing when the latch is released by moving the engagement end of thelatch away from the front face of the outlet fixture so that theengagement end of the latch is positioned between the outlet fixture andthe one of the sidewalls of the housing.
 6. The system of claim 1,further including a terminal assembly that receives supply lines, andwherein the outlet fixture is electrically connected to the terminalassembly.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the outlet fixture iselectrically connected to the terminal assembly by flexible wiring. 8.The system of claim 6, wherein: the terminal assembly includes aplurality of sockets; and the outlet fixture includes a plurality ofpins aligned with said plurality of pins, the plurality of pins havinglengths selected to cause the plurality of pins to engage the pluralityof sockets only when the outlet fixture is in moved to the recessedposition.
 9. The system of claim 6, wherein: the terminal assemblyincludes a first plurality of contacts; and the outlet fixture includesa second plurality of contacts aligned with said first plurality ofcontacts, the first plurality of contacts engaging the second pluralityof contacts only when the outlet fixture is in moved to the recessedposition.
 10. A method of selectively recessing an electrical outletcomprising: receiving and inserting a plug into an electrical outletbody within a housing, the outlet body having a front face that includesat least one receptacle that selectively receives an electrical plug,the outlet body having a first position wherein the front face isproximate to an opening of the housing; moving the electrical outletbody into the housing; stopping the electrical outlet body at a recessedposition within the housing wherein the front face of the outlet body isdisplaced from the opening of the housing; and restraining theelectrical outlet body in the recessed position using a latch that hasan engagement end that engages the front face of the outlet body whenthe outlet body is in the recessed position and that is positionedbetween the outlet body and the housing when the outlet body is returnedto the first position.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingreturning the electrical outlet body to a position proximate to a frontof the housing.